A lot of people say that Hakeem was way better than Shaq was, and I've always disagreed. For one thing, they sight that Hakeem beat Shaq 4-0 in the 95 Finals. While they did win 4-0, two games in that series could have gone either way, Houston winning by 2 and 3 points, one thanks to Nick Anderson's 4 missed free throws. Hakeem also had Clyde Drexler, who was still better than Penny, and Sam Cassell, one of the most clutch playoff performers.
So, getting to the point, how did they do, head to head, in the postseason? Take into account that Shaq never played Hakeem when he was in his prime, as Shaq didn't win his MVP until 2000. Hakeem's finest seasons ever statistically were in 94 and 95 seasons.
Here's the breakdown.
REgular season-Shaq's team won 14 out of 20 meetings.
shaq-22.1 pts per game, 12.4 rebounds. Hakeem-18.4 pts per game, 9.1 rebounds
-bottom line, Shaq did more in there meetings, his teams won the majority of the time
Post season-Hakeem won 5 out of 8 meetings(had Drexler, Cassell, and Barkley at various times, Shaq had Penny)
Shaq-28.8 pts per game, 11.4 rebounds Hakeem- 23 pts per game, 9.4 rebounds
As you can see, while Shaq was not in his prime during those years, Hakeem was, and the fact that Hakeem won the Finals MVP and the Finals was probably due in large part to the fact Shaq was incomplete player at age 22 yrs old, and he did not have veterans like Drexler to make plays down the stretch, as his team lost 2 of the 4 games by 2 and 3 pts!! If not for nick Anderson, that series would have gone either way.
My point is, hakeem never "dominated" shaq as some put it. Did it he match up evenly during his prime years against Shaq, yes, but I'll also take that a step further, Shaq was 22-23 yrs old in Hakeem's glory years. The numbers do not hide the fact that Shaq was in fact evenly matched or even outplayed Hakeem many a time, and Hakeem didn't have to face Shaq his MVP season when he AVERAGED 30 pts, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks, and Shaq was triple teamed at that point in his career. Anyone care to dispute the numbers, I found them by doing a search on yahoo, typing shaq hakeem head to head, and it had a list of numbers for all centers.
So, getting to the point, how did they do, head to head, in the postseason? Take into account that Shaq never played Hakeem when he was in his prime, as Shaq didn't win his MVP until 2000. Hakeem's finest seasons ever statistically were in 94 and 95 seasons.
Here's the breakdown.
REgular season-Shaq's team won 14 out of 20 meetings.
shaq-22.1 pts per game, 12.4 rebounds. Hakeem-18.4 pts per game, 9.1 rebounds
-bottom line, Shaq did more in there meetings, his teams won the majority of the time
Post season-Hakeem won 5 out of 8 meetings(had Drexler, Cassell, and Barkley at various times, Shaq had Penny)
Shaq-28.8 pts per game, 11.4 rebounds Hakeem- 23 pts per game, 9.4 rebounds
As you can see, while Shaq was not in his prime during those years, Hakeem was, and the fact that Hakeem won the Finals MVP and the Finals was probably due in large part to the fact Shaq was incomplete player at age 22 yrs old, and he did not have veterans like Drexler to make plays down the stretch, as his team lost 2 of the 4 games by 2 and 3 pts!! If not for nick Anderson, that series would have gone either way.
My point is, hakeem never "dominated" shaq as some put it. Did it he match up evenly during his prime years against Shaq, yes, but I'll also take that a step further, Shaq was 22-23 yrs old in Hakeem's glory years. The numbers do not hide the fact that Shaq was in fact evenly matched or even outplayed Hakeem many a time, and Hakeem didn't have to face Shaq his MVP season when he AVERAGED 30 pts, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks, and Shaq was triple teamed at that point in his career. Anyone care to dispute the numbers, I found them by doing a search on yahoo, typing shaq hakeem head to head, and it had a list of numbers for all centers.
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